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About this book

This new title from Bradt forms part of its distinctive 'Slow Travel' series and is the only title available to cover the Chilterns and Thames Valley in depth. The Chilterns and the Thames Valley do not correspond to the specific boundaries of one county or region, old or new. Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire all have a share.
Divided into six easily manageable sections, Bradt's The Chilterns and Thames Valley lifts the lid on what makes this area so distinctive. Chalk grasslands, beech woods, streams and wooded valleys provide a perfect landscape for walking and are easily accessible from London. About half of the area has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the closest such area to London. Rare plants such as fleawort and numerous orchid varieties, and birds including red kites, lapwings and skylark flourish. The Thames Valley follows the route of one of the world's most famous rivers. You can find key sites of monarchical and parliamentary power such as Windsor Castle and Chequers, the location of Magna Carta's sealing at Runnymede and the birthplaces of men and women who have led dissent down the ages. A host of well-loved authors has lived and written here, depicting Paradise, defining our childhoods and painting timeless images of England and its people. Eminent chefs own restaurants with national and sometimes international reputations.
In short, the Chilterns and the Thames Valley together represent a wonderfully paradoxical mixture of world-famous tourist sites and lesser-known attractions full of quirkiness and character, which will repay the visitor's interest and attention many times over. From Windsor Castle to Whipsnade Zoo, Britain's oldest road - The Ridgeway - to National Trust properties such as Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor, the Henley Regatta to the Grand Union Canal, Bradt's The Chilterns and Thames Valley is the perfect companion.

About the author

Helen Matthews is Chilterns born and bred. She and Neil have lived in Prestwood, a south Buckinghamshire village in the heart of the Chilterns, since 1991. Neil won the 'Best Unpublished' category of the Bradt/Independent on Sunday travel writing competition in 2008. He has since had travel articles published in Optima, Best of Britain, Wanderlust and elsewhere. Neil has written two books: Journeys from Wimbledon Common (2012), a travelogue exploring the places which gave the Wombles their names; and Victorians and Edwardians abroad (2016), a history of the Polytechnic Touring Association. Helen co-founded a local conservation group and is a member of the Chiltern Society's Save our Pubs working group.